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In his speech, Canon Francis Brown said, “We are delighted with this year group’s set of unparalleled results and very proud of some outstanding individual achievements. A forward thinking school with a proven track record, St. Colman’s achieved 4th place in the Irish News league tables and is the top boys’ Grammar School in Northern Ireland. Once again our students have demonstrated that hard work and effort are rewarded. We congratulate you together with your parents and your former schools. While academic excellence is essential, it is but one aspect of the holistic education the boys experience in the College.
Canon Brown went on to say, “Tonight we are celebrating once more excellent academic performance, but equally important we are acknowledging the contribution made by our students to the many facets of school life – sport, music, drama, social awareness, pastoral care etc”.
I encourage each of you to follow his dreams, to make sure that you avail of every opportunity as you prepare for life and pursue excellence in every aspect of your life. It is important that you pursue what is right for you, that you become more aware of your talents and that those talents are developed to the full. I encourage you to look forward in a positive way and reach for the stars. You have to do what is right for you. Your years at St. Colman’s College were about encouraging you to do just that.
Mindful always of our motto, bonitas, disciplina, scientia (kindness, discipline, knowledge) I encourage you all to be kind young men, who as a result of your seven years of discipline, are self-disciplined and filled with knowledge and understanding that will leave you adequately prepared for life. It is my hope also that you r faith will be firm and the tension between faith and reason will be healthy and life-giving. You will learn as you move through life that your faith is valuable. Cherish it and at times your faith may be the only crutch upon which to lean. May each one of you be a leader in his place of work and an inspiration to his family. May you always be mindful of our motto and as you began your student life at St. Colman’s, may you continue to do so as kind, self-disciplined knowledgeable young men, who will make a vast contribution to the society in which you live.
Parents in these uncertain and threatening times in the world of education, I encourage you to be vigilant and ensure that your children get the very best in terms of their education. There is a concern that much could be lost and we all need to move forward cautiously. Success for more children can only be achieved if help is given at the right time. The stalemate that exists in relation to transfer is not the only important issue currently. If a child has not learned to read by the age of eight, irreparable damage is done. I encourage parents to apply pressure on Government to ensure that KS1 pupils are adequately catered for. For too long this important issue and others like it have been ignored.
Consider, for example, the targets that Government sets at Key Stage 4 for English and Maths. We are constantly being harangued and quoted the statistic that 48% of our young people have failed English and/or Maths at GCSE level. The truth of the matter is that these examinations in English and Maths are such that some of our young people could never pass them. The content is unsuitable, you have only to listen to what employers are saying to hear how inadequately prepared some employees can be in applying both English and Maths in workplace situations. A more appropriate syllabus designed to meet the needs of students and society, equal in status, is required if we are genuinely interested in raising the pass rate in English and Maths from the often quoted 52%. This is yet another of the real issues in our education system that currently needs to be addressed. Once again, I encourage parents to lend their support and canvass for more suitable examinations for those students who need English and Maths at GCSE level but have no intention of studying these subjects at A-level or in 3rd level.
You cannot blindly “pursue excellence” without also “preparing for life” and this is precisely what we are constantly striving for and thankfully achieving in St. Colman’s.
As President of St. Colman’s College, I wish to pay tribute to our very fine, dedicated staff as a group of people who are hard working and committed. Their hard work and care for the pupils have enabled the students to reach the high standard which they have achieved this year once again. Our students deserve the best and it is the intention of the whole College community to ensure that they receive the best and in this context I wish to say a particular word of thanks to the staff who give of their time, experience and expertise in providing extra-curricular activities for the benefit of the students with whom they work. The value of this enriching experience cannot be over-estimated. Placed alongside their normal school work, it can and does provide our students with a platform for developing skills and making friendships that will stay with them for all time.
In his Speech Queens University Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Gregson said St Colman’s College and Queen’s University Belfast have much in common.
Speaking at the College’s Prize Night on Monday, the Vice-Chancellor said the College’s dedication to ensure that all pupils are empowered to realise their full potential “resonates very strongly” with the ethos at Queen’s.
Professor Gregson said: “Both institutions strive to make sure that their students acquire the skills and the experiences to underpin their future lives and careers, and to become the best they can be.
“Indeed, our shared values are personified by two of the College’s most distinguished Old Boys. These are Queen’s graduates Francis Campbell, the UK’s Ambassador to the Holy See and the first British Ambassador to be appointed by open competition, and former Lord Chief Justice Lord Kerr of Tonaghmore.
“At this summer’s graduation ceremonies, we awarded both these distinguished individuals honorary doctorates.”
The Vice-Chancellor added: “Both possess our most valued qualities; intelligence, integrity, leadership, and compassion, attributes which both Queen’s and St Colman’s instil in our students.”
Professor Gregson also paid tribute to the members of the St Colman’s community who helped to shape what he described as “this excellent school”.
He said: “It has been shaped by its Presidents and Governors who have provided, and continue to provide, excellent leadership, and I particularly thank Canon Francis Brown for his inspirational guidance over the past 10 years. It has also been shaped by the teachers who have the privilege of lighting the candle of learning in every pupil, and who also have the responsibility of keeping it alight, and by the parents who support their sons, and indeed the school, in so many ways.
“And, of course, it is shaped by the pupils themselves, the boys of St Colman’s College. Their achievements – in their academic studies, in music, in drama, in sport – notably on the Gaelic field – and in their contribution to society, are what sets this school apart.”
Around 100 St Colman’s Old Boys are currently students at Queen’s.
